I was listening to Katy Perry's song Not Like the Movies, when I started thinking about romantic
movies and what makes the good ones work. A movie needs a good script, likeable
stars and a believable premise. I love movies about ordinary people, who I can
relate to. I have to feel like I could be the star in that movie. Those of you
who have read my novel Cruise Quarters know that I am the hopeful romantic. With that in mind I have given you my top ten romantic movie choices.
I hate to know too much about a movie before I see it. I
like to be surprised; I only read movie reviews after I see the movie. Therefore I
will just give you a teaser about each of my picks, just enough to pique your
interest. My movies span decades and continents. I have watched a lot of bad
movies so that you won't have to. My top ten list is in alphabetical order. I
couldn't pick a favorite.
Happy Viewing, from the Hopeful Romantic!
1. 500 Days of Summer - starring Joseph Gordon - Levitt and
Zooey Daschanel. I saw this movie at a screening sponsored by the Palm Springs
Film Society. The writer Scott Neustadter told us that this movie was based on
his life story. The movie wanders through your consciousness like time does.
2. Ae Fond Kiss - starring Attat Yaqubj and Eva Birthisttle
Director Ken Loach This movie has a fond place in my heart because my husband
is from Glasgow and lives in a
neighborhood that is a mix of native Scots and Pakistanis. If you want to take
the pulse of a culture this movie gets it right.
3. The Breakup - starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston
How many times have you gone to see a movie and wondered, really why are these
people together? A manic Vaughn plays a guy's guy to the hilt, a very funny
script.
4. Bull Durham starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon
This movie is about a minor league baseball team in a small Southern town. It
is about a time when summer seemed to last forever.
5. Chilly Scenes of Winter starring Mary Beth Hurt and John
Heard This movie is based on a novel by Anne Beattie. It is about that time
after college when you are trying to find a life for yourself. Anyone who has
ever sat in a cubicle for eight hours a day will certainly relate to this
movie.
6. Frankie and Johnnie at the Claire de Lune starring
Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino These superstars play two ordinary people
working at a diner in New York City.
7. Modern Romance starring Albert Brooks and Kathryn Harrold
Albert Brooks plays a fickle guy who just can't commit. This movie feels like a
replay of my dating life before I met my husband. This movie was the first
romance I had ever seen that got it right.
8. Starting Over starring Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen and
Jill Clayburgh. Watch this movie and you will know why Burt Reynolds was the
biggest box office star for years. I spent most of my single years in Boston
where the movie is set navigating through the crazy dating scene and by that I
mean most of the men I met were crazy.
9. A Town Like Alice
starring Bryan Brown and Helen Morse based on a novel by Nevil Shute This might
be bit of a cheat because this is an Australian mini-series. It takes the
romance through many years from a Malaysian prison camp to a town in the back
of beyond in Australia.
This movie captures the awkwardness of reconnection and starting over in a new
land.
10. The Year Of Living Dangerously starring Sigourney Weaver
and Mel Gibson See this movie and for a few hours Mel Gibson once again becomes
the sexiest man alive. Set amidst a revolution in Indonesia
the country provides a dramatic backdrop. The movie provides an unlikely
matchmaker in Linda Hunt.
If any one in Hollywood is listening I have a great story about two ordinary people who meet in a very big world. It would fit in quite nicely at number eleven.
If any one in Hollywood is listening I have a great story about two ordinary people who meet in a very big world. It would fit in quite nicely at number eleven.
Cara Bertoia is the author of Cruise Quarters - A Novel
About Casinos and Cruise Ships. This novel about her experiences working on a
luxury cruise ship is the top rated casino or cruise ship novel at Amazon. This novel is really a travelogue, a narrative,
a romance, a self-help manual for gambling and cruising, and a real-life story
all rolled into one funny, obsessive, and entertaining story of two people
whose separate life journeys meet at a crossroads. Kindle
Fire Dept. says, "This novel is a gem that is nothing short of a vacation
in a book!" It will be featured at E- Reader News Today on September 3, as
bargain book of the day. You can read more of her blog at
carabertoia.blogspot.com and please let share your own picks for top romantic movies.
Click to find at Barnes and Noble
Ray and Cara have also produced the number one guide on walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
The Desert Woman calls it inspiring.
Click the link to find the DVD Camino de Santiago a Walkers Guide at Amazon
Below is the links to Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships
Click the link to find at
Amazon.com
Click here to find at Amazon Canada
Click the link to find at Amazon United Kingdom
Click the link to find at Amazon Germany
Click the link to find at Amazon BrazilClick here to find at Amazon Canada
Click the link to find at Amazon United Kingdom
Click the link to find at Amazon Germany
Click to find at Barnes and Noble
Ray and Cara have also produced the number one guide on walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
The Desert Woman calls it inspiring.
Click the link to find the DVD Camino de Santiago a Walkers Guide at Amazon
Hi Cara,
ReplyDeleteI have never seen any of these movies! Such a handy list for date nights at home with the hubby. We love a good rom com. I'm most interested in Ae Fond Kiss for its cross cultural love:)
I have never seen any of these motion movie ! Such a convenient rundown for date evenings at home with the hubby. We love a decent romantic comedy.
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